


William

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [29]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 15:51:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6992191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An unexpected visitor arrives on the Merlyn-Queen-Smoak's doorstep looking for answers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	William

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> Thank you for continuing support of this series. Your comments and kudos keep me motivated to keep exploring this universe. We started the week with a fic set before their relationship has even begun and we are ending the week with a story the furthest into the future we've ever been.
> 
> A big thank you to Jen (Lademonessa) for gifting me with title art for this series, which is officially premiering below. 
> 
> I'm not telling this series in chronological order. Some readers have requested that I provide a chronological order for the fics in the series. There is no need to read them in chronological order, but in case you'd like to the list is below.  
> 1\. Beautiful Stranger (Part 28)  
> 2\. The First Time (Part 1)  
> 3\. The Italian Restaurant (Part 3)  
> 4\. Do The Hustle (Part 21)  
> 5\. Wherever You Are, There I Am (Part 8)  
> 6\. Perfect (Part 16)  
> 7\. Practical Jokes and Other Misunderstandings (Part 14)  
> 8\. Cobble Hill (Part 4)  
> 9\. House Warming (Part 15)  
> 10\. Twenty Questions Over Brunch (Part 11)  
> 11\. Hildy (Part 5)  
> 12\. Burgers & Lies (Part 9)  
> 13\. You Say You Want A Revolution (Part 22)  
> 14\. Look Me In The Eye And Make Me Feel The Truth (Part 12)  
> 15\. Fight Night (Part 20)  
> 16\. Into Thin Air (Part 17)  
> 17\. It’s Just Like Falling (Part 27)  
> 18\. Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow? (Part 7)  
> 19\. Life With The Arrow (Part 23)  
> 20\. Up All Night (Part 6)  
> 21\. Welcome Home (Part 10)  
> 22\. Better Than Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (Part 24)  
> 23\. Home Is Where You Are (Part 2)  
> 24\. Somebody Get A Hammer (Part 26)  
> 25\. Three (Part 13)  
> 26\. Life Lived In The Tabloids (Part 18)  
> 27\. Tokyo Calling (Part 25)  
> 28\. Prudence Chastity (Part 19)  
> 29\. William (Part 29)
> 
> Welcome to any new readers who have stumbled into this universe. The more the merrier.
> 
> Arrow and its characters do not belong to me.

Artwork by Lademonessa.

 

 

On a good day, weekdays in the Merlyn-Queen-Smoak household were normally pandemonium, but when Oliver was traveling, Tommy sometimes felt like he was being held hostage by a two-year-old terrorist. Their son sat in his chair at the kitchen table shrieking as he dropped fistfuls of oatmeal onto the floor. Tommy had never been so grateful to have a dog as when Hildy risked having something heavy dropped onto her as she poked her head out from beneath the table to eat the food that Bobby was throwing to the floor.

Tommy crossed the kitchen to pry the bowl of oatmeal from Bobby's hands, "That's enough, Robert John Smoak. We don't throw food on the floor."

Bobby's cheeks were bright red and tear stained as he howled at Tommy, "I want my daddy."

 _So do I_ , Tommy thought to himself as he moved Bobby's food out of his reach, "Daddy is in Metropolis for a meeting." He removed the dish towel from his shoulder and attempted to clean his son's pudgy hands. Bobby wasn't making it easy for him. His little fists were closed tightly and Tommy had to gently pry his fingers opened. "Daddy is going to call tonight for story time."

"No," Bobby wiped his runny nose with his pajama sleeve. "I want daddy. Now," he screamed and Hildy fled from under the table and ran up the stairs.

Tommy glanced at the clock and would've considered giving into his toddler, but with the three-hour time difference, Oliver would definitely be in the middle of a meeting. For the past three months, Bobby had been going through a phase where the only parent he wanted was Oliver. In a pinch, he'd reluctantly be soothed by Felicity, but he wanted nothing to do with Tommy. The moms in their play group tried to reassure him that, as the stay at home parent, Bobby was trying to manipulate him when he cried for Oliver. If their son was trying to manipulate him by making him feel like a failure as a parent it was working. Tommy was beginning to remember the appeal of day drinking. He unbuckled the booster chair's safety harness and lifted Bobby from his seat. Bobby immediately began kicking his legs and landed a pretty good blow against Tommy's stomach. If he'd been wearing shoes, the kick would've left a bruise. Tommy held Bobby against his chest, securing his thrashing legs with his forearm, "We don't kick. You hurt dada."

"I don't care," Bobby wailed.

"Yes, you do," Tommy moved them over to the sink and sat Bobby on the counter. "We don't hurt other people, it isn't nice. Say, you're sorry."

Bobby scrunched up his face as another round of sobs racked his body, "Sorry, dada."

"Thank you, I know you didn't want to hurt me," Tommy turned the sink on and dampened the dish towel with warm water and then gently wiped Bobby's face as he squirmed.

"Daddy," Bobby sobbed as Tommy cleaned him up.

Tommy ran a hand over Bobby's soft dark curls, "I know, little man, I know." He tossed the dish towel back over his shoulder, "Let's go get you dressed and we can play ball with Hildy in the garden, okay?"

Bobby looked at him with tear filled eyes as he contemplated Tommy's offer. He never looked more like Felicity than when he was weighing his options. Tommy could practically see his son's wheels turning as he tried to decide if he should continue his tantrum about his daddy or go and do one of his favorite activities. Bobby placed his hand over the spot he'd kicked Tommy and rubbed it, "Okay."

Tommy sighed in relief, "Okay, let's go get you dressed." He lifted Bobby from the counter and carried him to the stairs. He was about to put Bobby onto the bottom step so he could partake of one of his other favorite activities, climbing the stairs like a big boy, when the doorbell rang. "Who do you think that is?"  Bobby shrugged his shoulders. "Let's go see who it is."

Tommy glanced at the security camera. There was a man wearing a baseball cap backwards and a backpack standing with his back to the door. He shifted Bobby in his arms and opened the door, "May I help you?"

When the man turned around, he turned out not to be a man but a boy of about fifteen or sixteen. Tommy felt his heart stop because even though he had no idea who this boy was he had no doubt that he was Oliver's son. Instead of looking at a stranger it was like looking into the past and seeing a teenaged Ollie shift nervously from foot to foot. The young man looked at Bobby and then back to Tommy. "Hi," he wiped the palm of his hands on his jeans, "I'm William Clayton."

As soon as he heard the name Clayton, he knew exactly who William was and knew for certain that he was Oliver's son. William stuck his hand out and Tommy shook it, "I'm Tommy Merlyn and this is Bobby." At the sound of his name, Bobby tucked his face against Tommy's neck and clutched the collar of his shirt tightly. Tommy opened the door wider, "I think you should come in."

William stepped into the foyer, took off his cap and nervously looked around, "Um, your house is nice."

"Thank you," Tommy said as he put his leg out to prevent Hildy from jumping up on their guest as she flew across the foyer.

William squatted down and began to scratch Hildy behind her ears, "I always wanted a dog but my mom is allergic."

"If you keep doing that Hildy will go home with you," Tommy said only half kidding. Ever since Bobby had been born, poor Hildy no longer received the attention she'd grown used to when she was their only child.

Bobby's head popped up, "No, Hildy's mine."

"Dada was only teasing," Tommy rubbed his son's back, "Hildy is your dog."

Bobby started giggling, "No, dada. Hildy's mommy's dog."

Tommy smiled as Bobby repeated their household's often heard argument of whose dog Hildy was whenever one of his dads didn’t want to take her for a walk, "Yes, Hildy is mommy's dog."

Hildy flopped over and exposed her belly. William obliged and began to rub her tummy. He smiled when the big red dog started making her happy grunting noise.

"She'll have you rubbing her belly forever, if you let her," Tommy cautioned. "Can I get you something to drink? Are you hungry? I can make you breakfast."

William stood up, "No, thank you." He eyed Tommy suspiciously, "Why haven't you asked me why I’m here?"

Tommy opened the door to their living room and stepped inside. He picked up a picture frame containing a photo of him and Oliver from their high school graduation. He handed the picture to William, "I have a pretty good idea."

William held the photo close to his face as he studied the picture. He put the picture back where Tommy had taken it from and began to look at the other photos on the sofa table, "You've been together a long time."

There were pictures of Tommy and Oliver going back to infancy on display, "We've known each other our whole lives, but we've only been together for nine and a half years."

William picked up a picture that Thea took the day that Bobby was born. Felicity was sitting in a hospital bed holding Bobby with Tommy and Oliver sitting on either side of her. No one was looking at the camera because they were all looking in wonder at Bobby. William turned the picture towards Tommy, "You're both married to her?"

Tommy shifted Bobby to his other arm as he stalled for time. His thumb rubbed against his wedding ring. This was probably a conversation Oliver should be having, "We're not legally married to each other or to Felicity, but we are in a committed relationship - all three of us."

William put the picture back, "Cool."

"I guess it is," Tommy said in response. He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he was expecting, but a blasé, cool, was not it. "Oliver's not home."

William put his hands into his pockets and looked at his feet, "I know, he's in Metropolis."

Once again, Tommy was surprised by William's response, "If you know Ollie's not here, why'd you come?"

William shrugged, "You always seem to be the nicer one on TV and in the tabloid photos, you smile more. I thought you'd be easier to talk to."

Tommy laughed, "I guess both of Ollie's sons know that I'm the push over." Bobby began to squirm and Tommy put him onto the floor.

Despite being six feet tall, William looked young and vulnerable. Tommy thought that the teenager must've been terrified to knock on their front door to speak with a total stranger about his paternity. Tommy's heart went out to the kid who was probably just looking for answers. He knew all too well what that felt like, "Ollie doesn't know about you."

"I know, my mom told me." William looked at Tommy with moist eyes, "She told him I died before I was even born."

"He was devastated." The look on William's face was so familiar, Tommy had to stop himself from putting his hand on William's shoulder to comfort him. He remembered the night Oliver showed up in his bedroom distraught about the loss of an unplanned pregnancy with a one-night stand he couldn’t even remember having. Tommy forced his mind to focus on the present, "He was absolutely terrified that Felicity would miscarry during her entire pregnancy with Bobby."

"You know about my mom?" William asked in surprise.

"Let's go into the kitchen. I can put a movie on to distract Bobby and we can talk."

Tommy led everyone into the kitchen and put on the _Jungle Book_ for Bobby, "He usually sits through this one - he likes the music." Right on cue, Bobby toddled over to his overstuffed toddler sized chair and plopped down to watch the movie.

"I haven't had my coffee yet today, would you like some?" Tommy poured himself a large mug of coffee with a heavy helping of cream.

"No, thank you," William took off his backpack and sat down at the kitchen table, "but I'll take a glass of water."

Tommy needed to do something while he thought of the best way to break this news to Oliver, "Did you have breakfast this morning?"

William shook his head, "No."

"You must be starving. When we were your age, Oliver and I were always eating." Tommy opened the fridge, "Do you want eggs or pancakes?"

"Cereal is fine," William said shyly.

Tommy opened the pantry, "Well, we have muesli and granola. Ollie's not big on sugar."

William wrinkled his nose, "That's okay."

Tommy smiled, "Luckily, Felicity is." He opened the closet and pulled out her _basket of scarves_. He removed the handful of scarves that sat on the top of the basket and revealed the four boxes of sugary cereal beneath. Tommy placed the boxes onto the table, "She doesn't think we know about her secret stash."

Tommy grabbed a bowl, spoon and some milk and placed them in front of William. The teenager grabbed a box of cereal and poured it into the bowl, "Thanks."

"How long have you known?" Tommy asked as he joined William at the table with his requested glass of water.

"A couple of months," William took a drink. "When I was growing up, every time I asked my mom who my dad was she told me that he didn't know about me and that I was better off without him in my life. She was out one day and I decided I wanted to know the truth. She keeps a drawer locked in her desk and I broke into it. I found a check for a million dollars that was dated seven months before I was born."

"Moira," Tommy said under his breath. Of course it was Moira. Oliver never had a problem that she didn't think she could solve by writing a check. If she couldn't convince Samantha to have an abortion she would've paid her to lie to Ollie about a miscarriage.

William stared at his glass of water, "I looked up who Moira Queen was on the internet and I read all about her and - him. I saw a picture of him from high school. Well," William gestured to his own face, "it was pretty obvious. When my mom came home I asked her if he was my dad, she finally told me the whole story – well, her side, at least."

"Where do you live?" Tommy suddenly realized that it was a school day and William would be missed.

"We live in Central City," William took another sip of water. "I took the earliest train this morning."

Tommy wondered if schools still called parents when a kid played hooky, "Does your mom know where you are?"

William looked at the floor and shook his head, "She thinks I'm at school."

"You need to call her and tell her where you are?" Tommy knew, no matter his age, that if Bobby didn't come home after school one day he'd be a worried mess.

"No," William's eyes went wide, "I can't tell her where I am. She told me I wasn't allowed to have any contact with him. She'll ground me for sure."

Tommy smiled sympathetically, "Even at the risk of you getting grounded, I'm going to insist that you call her. She's your mom and she has a right to know where you are."

William pursed his lips and scowled and Tommy couldn't help but laugh, "God, you look just like him."

William looked at Bobby, "He looks just like you. Is he yours?"

Tommy winced at the question. He would never get used to people asking who Bobby's father was. No one seemed to understand how intrusive and hurtful that question was. They were both Bobby's father and the biology was irrelevant, "He's our son."

"Yes, but is he yours or is he my brother?" William asked earnestly.

"We don't want to know who his biological father is," Tommy explained. "He is your brother, because he is your father's son too."

William shrugged, "I didn't mean to upset you. He just looks a lot more like you than him."

Tommy looked over at Bobby who was now standing and dancing to one of the movie's songs. The older he got, the more apparent it was that he was biologically Tommy's. It was something that was never discussed by his parents. Tommy provided the response he gave everyone when they remarked on Bobby's appearance, "Felicity isn't a natural blonde."

"They’re saying that Felicity is pregnant again. Is that true?"

Tommy sighed. Once again the tabloids had intruded on something they wanted to keep quiet, "She just entered her second trimester. We haven't officially told anyone outside of our family." William looked like he was about to ask another question, "But before you ask, we don't know who the biological father is this time either."

William smiled sheepishly, "Sorry. I promise I won't tell anyone."

Tommy smiled, "Thank you."

"Is it another boy?" the question bubbled out of William.

Tommy chuckled, "It's too early to tell and I'm not sure if Felicity is going to let us find out the sex. She didn't want to know last time."

"I thought everyone found out," William said without judgment.

All of Tommy and Oliver's pleading to learn the baby's sex during their first pregnancy had fallen on deaf ears and he wasn't expecting it go differently the second time around, "Yeah, well, you don't know Felicity."

Williams face fell, "My mom doesn't like her very much and she says you partied too hard in college."

"I did party too hard in college," Tommy said with an easy grin before he became serious. "Why doesn't your mom like Felicity? Has she met her?"

William blushed, "I'd rather not say. I shouldn't have mentioned it."

Tommy could only imagine what Samantha had told her son about Felicity and how far it was from the truth, "Well, Ollie and I think she's pretty wonderful."

"She's super smart," William offered with a smile, "I've been reading up on all of you. She's got a genius IQ and she went to MIT and she's invented stuff." William pulled a folder out of his bag and slid it in front of Tommy.

Tommy opened the folder and with trembling fingers he sifted through page after page of tabloid articles going all the way back to high school. Every transgression Oliver had ever committed was there for his son to read about. There would come a day when their own children would search their fathers' names and learn some harsh truths. Unfortunately, the tabloids didn't have to make up stories about Oliver in high school and college. He'd been too reckless and self-destructive to care what was printed about him. After Oliver returned to Starling the tabloids had to turn to wild speculation until they started to link him to Felicity and Tommy. Tommy was aware that William was watching him for a reaction. "He's not this person," Tommy closed the folder.

William had removed two more folders from his bag. He opened one of them. "My mom says that he was dating someone else when he got her pregnant." William slid a photo of Oliver and Laurel taken outside a club when they were in college. "You dated her too," he slid a photo of Tommy and Laurel taken at the CNRI benefit he'd thrown her. "Is that something you've always done? You, him and a woman?"

Tommy picked up the picture from the CNRI benefit. Thinking of Laurel no longer filled him with pain. He was able to look at photos of her and remember the good times and the love that they had shared. He realized that William was still waiting on an answer, "Oliver and I were never with Laurel together." William looked confused and Tommy really didn't want to be the one having this conversation, "I think you should really talk to Oliver about all of this."

"It's just," William gathered all of the articles and photos back, "when I went looking for my dad, I wasn't expecting to find all of this."

"It's a lot to take in," Tommy confirmed.

"My mom didn’t want to have anything to do with my dad, so I was kind of expecting to find some fat, bald, loser insurance salesman, not a billionaire living with a man and a woman and their son," William said nervously as he pulled out more photos, "but you look like a happy family in all of these."

Tommy didn't need to look at any of William's pictures, "We are a happy family."

"It can't be wrong if you're all happy. I mean, I know what all of these articles say about you, but when I read about all the good stuff you guys do and then I see these pictures of all of you laughing and smiling," William blushed. "I don't know what I was expecting when I rang your doorbell - but all of this - your house - your dog - you - Bobby - it just seems really normal."

Tommy was relieved that William seemed to be keeping an open mind about his father's unconventional relationship. He put a hand on William's forearm, "If I call Ollie now, he can be home in six hours. He has the jet with him."

William jerked his arm out from beneath Tommy's hand, "No, I don't want to talk to him."

"Why not?" Tommy asked with surprise. He never imagined that William would travel all the way to Starling and not want to meet Oliver. "I know he's going to want to meet you."

William rubbed his hands on the legs of his jeans, "He's going to be angry."

"I imagine he will be angry, but not with you. None of this is your fault," Tommy said reassuringly.

"He's going to be angry with my mom."

"Probably and he's going to be pretty pissed at his mom for paying your mom to lie."

"That's a bad word dada," Bobby said without taking his eyes away from the tv.

"You're right, monkey," Tommy responded contritely.

Bobby turned to look at him with a quintessential Felicity look. He pointed to the kitchen sink, "Can I put the money in the jar?"

It’d become apparent that their son had inherited Felicity's IQ when he started to speak in complete sentences right after his first birthday. In an attempt to keep his vocabulary from becoming too colorful for the playground, Felicity had introduced the swear jar when Bobby started parroting back everything that they said. There had been lots of judging looks when Bobby said, motherfucker, to another kid in the sandbox before his first birthday. The swear jar hadn't been all that effective in curbing their swearing, instead, Bobby had become the primary enforcer of the no swearing rule. The toddler seemed to find endless amusement in placing cash into the jar. Tommy stood up and Bobby ran over to him in order to be picked up, "Let's see if your old man has any money in his pockets." Bobby looked at Tommy hopefully from his spot on the counter as his dad searched his pockets. "Looks like I need to go upstairs and get my wallet."

Bobby's bottom lip began to quiver. "I have a dollar," William offered as he pulled a wrinkled bill from his pocket.

Bobby began to clap his hands with excitement. William handed Bobby the bill and the toddler happily shoved it into the jar. "What do we say?" Tommy asked his son.

"Swearing isn't nice," Bobby said seriously.

William covered his mouth as he laughed. Tommy smiled too, "Swearing isn't nice, but what do you say to William for giving you a dollar?"

Bobby suddenly turned shy and turned his face into Tommy's shirt, "Thank you."

William reached out and touched Bobby's small hand, "You're welcome."

Tommy put Bobby back down, "Yes, thank you. You averted a near tantrum."

"No problem." William ran his hand along the counter, "Okay."

"Okay, what?" Tommy honestly wasn't sure what William was agreeing to.

William looked up and made eye contact, "You can call him."

"I'll make you a deal," Tommy pulled his cell from his pocket, "I'll call Oliver, if you call your mom."

"You first," William said eagerly.

Tommy texted Oliver, _Everyone is fine. Call ASAP_.

He wasn't surprised when five seconds later his phone rang. "What's wrong?" Oliver asked before Tommy could even say hello.

"It’s like you don’t even read my messages. Nothing is wrong, but I need you to come home," Tommy cringed a little as he waited for Oliver's reaction.

"Come home? Right now?" Oliver asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Yes, now." Tommy knew that there was no way Oliver wasn't going to worry, "I promise, there isn't an emergency, I just need you to come home."

"Why do you need me to come home if nothing is wrong?" Oliver sounded tense and suspicious.

Tommy realized he should've had a better plan before he made the call, "I can't tell you over the phone."

Oliver went quiet for about thirty seconds. "Did Felicity lose the baby?" his fear evident in his voice.

Tommy felt terrible for making Oliver worry, "Ollie, no. Trust me when I tell you that Felicity and the baby are both fine. Bobby is fine. Thea is fine. I just need you to come home. It's not an emergency, but it’s important."

"Hold on a minute," Oliver said.

Tommy smiled at William as he waited for Oliver to pick back up, "I'm on hold."

"Tommy," Oliver was suddenly back, "I'll be wheels up in forty-five."

"Thank you," Bobby tugged on his pant leg, "Hold on a second, someone wants to say hi."

Tommy put the cell on speaker and knelt next to their son. Bobby reached out to hold the phone too, "Hi, daddy."

"Hi, little man. Are you being good for your dada?" Oliver asked, all the tension gone from his voice.

"No," Bobby said honestly, "I threw oatmeal on the floor."

From the pause on the other end of the line, Tommy could tell that Oliver was trying not to laugh, "That wasn't very nice. Did you help dada clean it up?"

"No, Hildy ate it," Bobby said proudly.

"It's a good thing Hildy likes oatmeal," Oliver teased.

Bobby's confessions continued, "I kicked dada in the tummy."

"Robert, we don't kick people," Oliver said firmly as all good humor left his voice.

 _Unless we're wearing green leather_ , Tommy thought to himself.

"Did you tell your dada that you were sorry?" Oliver was using his stern dad voice.

"Yes," Bobby said meekly.

"Okay, but when I get home I expect dada to tell me that you've been a good boy starting from now, otherwise, you won't get the present I bought you."

"Are you coming home daddy?" Bobby asked hopefully.

"I'll be home by the time you get up from your nap this afternoon," Oliver said happily.

Tommy sighed. There was no way he was going to get Bobby to take a nap now that he knew Oliver was coming home.

"Dada said a bad word," Bobby said solemnly.

"Bobby, it's not nice to tattle on people," Oliver reminded their son. Felicity had started calling Bobby, The Informer, because he’d broadcast their business to anyone who would listen.

"He let me put money in the jar," Bobby started to explain to Oliver.

Before Bobby could tell Oliver where he got the dollar from, Tommy interrupted, "Tell daddy that you'll see him later."

"Bye daddy," Bobby shouted before he ran back to watch his movie.

Tommy took the phone off speaker, "Have a good flight. I love you."

"I love you too. I'll call you once I'm in the air," Oliver disconnected the call.

"He's on his way." Tommy arched his brow, "Now it's your turn to call your mom."

"You're wrong," William told Tommy with a grin.

"About?"

"I don't think you're the pushover parent." William pushed off the counter and pulled out his cell, "Hi mom. Don't get mad. I'm in Starling City."

 

Tommy was making lunch when Felicity walked through the front door. He could hear her high heels clicking over the hardwood in as close to a run as she could manage in five inch heels. She burst into the kitchen and looked around anxiously. "You're going to break your neck running in those things," he teased.

She walked over to him and gave him a kiss, "Is Bobby asleep?"

"No, he's out in the garden with Hildy playing ball." Tommy opened the fridge and pulled out the ingredients for a salad, "What are you doing home?"

"Oliver called me from the jet on his way home." Felicity raised her brow, "He wanted to know if I knew what the big emergency is. He was freaking out about the baby."

"There's no emergency." Tommy took hold of her hand, "I told him that you and the baby are fine."

"Why would you ask him to come home then?" Felicity studied his face, "Are you okay? Why didn’t you call me?"

"I'm fine. I was going to call you after I finished making lunch." Tommy lowered his voice, "I had a visitor this morning."

Felicity closed her eyes, "Your dad's in town and wanted to see Bobby."

"No," Tommy was happy to say, "and for the record, if my dad shows up in town to see our son, I will officially declare an emergency."

"Fine, if it wasn't your dad, who was it?"

Before Tommy could respond, the garden door opened and William walked in with Bobby in his arms, "Bobby says he wants juice."

Felicity gently swatted Tommy's arm, "I thought you were being sarcastic when you said that he was in the garden." Felicity turned to look at their guest, "Oh." She looked back at Tommy and leaned heavily against the counter, her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, Oliver," she said quietly.

"Mommy," Bobby squirmed to get out of William's arms.

"Careful, monkey," Felicity put out her arms and William handed her Bobby.

"Felicity, this is William Clayton. William this is Felicity Smoak."

"Clayton?" Felicity asked Tommy with disbelief.

Tommy tilted his head in silent response.

"Moira," Felicity didn't need to ask.

Tommy grimaced and dropped his hand beneath the counter where William couldn’t see. He rubbed his thumb and index and middle fingers together in the universal sign for money.

Tommy watched Felicity close her eyes and silently count to ten.

"It's nice to meet you," William held out his hand.

"Yes, I'm sorry," Felicity took his hand with a bright smile, "it's very nice to meet you, William."

"William played soccer with me and Hildy," Bobby said excitedly. "He can do tricks like daddy."

"That was very nice of William," Felicity nuzzled Bobby's cheek.

"William's a sophomore in high school in Central City," Tommy told Felicity. "He plays baseball and soccer."

"Do you like school?" Felicity asked William. "It's okay if you don't. Oliver hated school." Her eyes went wide, "I mean, school is really important and you should study hard."

William laughed, "It's okay, I like school. I get pretty good grades." William rubbed his hands against his jeans, "You went to MIT. I want to go to Cal Tech."

"That's a really good school. I got a full scholarship there too, but it was too close to Vegas - I grew up in Vegas. What do you want to study?"

"Engineering," William said shyly.

Felicity relaxed as William slipped into her tech world, "Oh, I should totally introduce you to Curtis Holt. He's a brilliant engineer and he graduated from Cal Tech."

"He invented the Q-Cell with you." William had a huge smile on his face, "I've been reading about it for a school report. Is it true he set fire to the lab before he got it to work?"

Felicity laughed, "Curtis' inventions all start out either on fire or exploding or both."

"I'd love to see Applied Sciences," William's eyes were lit up with excitement, "it could really help with my paper."

"I'm pretty sure that can be arranged. I happen to know the CEO," she said with a grin.

Bobby patted Felicity's cheek, "Mommy is daddy's boss."

Tommy laughed, "Who's my boss?"

Bobby scrunched his nose as he thought about the question. His face relaxed and he smiled, "Me."

"Really?" Tommy lifted his son's shirt and blew a raspberry on his tummy. Bobby squealed in delight, "If you're my boss, I want a raise." Tommy blew another raspberry.

"Dada wants a raise," Bobby told his mom.

"I think your dada deserves everything he wants, don't you?" Felicity winked at Tommy.

 

Instead of one of his usual car and drivers, Oliver was surprised to find Tommy leaning against his Tesla with an easy grin on his face. Oliver thanked the flight crew, grabbed his own bags and walked to where Tommy was waiting and sat down his luggage.

Tommy took hold of Oliver's suit jacket and pulled him in close for a kiss, "Welcome home."

Oliver looked into his husband's eyes for a clue as to what had made his early return necessary. The only thing Oliver could detect was that Tommy was nervous. Oliver put his bags into the trunk, “Let's go home."

"Did you have a good flight?" Tommy asked as he put the car into gear.

Oliver arched a brow at Tommy as if to say, _You made me come home and you're leading with small talk_. Tommy arched a brow in reply. Oliver sighed as he resigned himself to having to wait for whatever it was Tommy had to tell him. "The flight was fine. How's Bobby?"

"Other than asking for you ever two minutes, he's fine," Tommy said with a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "Judging by the kick he gave me today, I think he'll be following his dad and uncles into late night crime fighting."

Oliver placed his hand over Tommy's on the gear shift. When they learned that Felicity was pregnant, it had been important to both Tommy and Oliver that their child wasn't raised by nannies. They were luckier than most parents that money wasn't a factor as they made their decision about child care. Tommy volunteered to scale back on his obligations in order to become a stay at home dad. Before Bobby's arrival he installed a new President of the Rebecca Foundation, the charity he'd established in his mother's honor. The President ran the day to day business of the foundation, but Tommy remained the head of the board of directors. On the days when Tommy's appearance was required, Felicity or Oliver were able to stay home. For the most part, Tommy was really happy with his role as a stay at home dad, but the past few months had been putting a strain on him that concerned both Felicity and Oliver, "It's only a phase, he'll get over it."

"I hope I survive that long," Tommy said with an attempt at levity.

Oliver turned in his seat so he could get a better look at Tommy's face, "Are you all right?"

"They don't call them the terrible twos for nothing. He'll be three in three months and on to the next challenge." Tommy looked over at Oliver and gave him a reassuring smile, "I'm fine. I'm just tired and really happy that you're home."

Oliver noticed that Tommy wasn't actually driving them towards home, "Hey, where are we going?"

"I thought we could go out to Bay Point," Tommy remarked like it was a completely reasonable idea.

"Buddy, it's drizzling and foggy. The only thing we're going to see at Bay Point is the inside of a cloud."

"Humor me," Tommy requested.

Before the Gambit, Bay Point was the spot Tommy and Oliver would go whenever something was bothering them. Usually they shared a joint or brought beers with them and they'd drink and talk until whoever was upset felt better. Tommy's problems back then usually began and ended with his dad, "Is Malcolm back in town?"

"Felicity asked me that too," Tommy said with amusement. "I'll tell you what I told her. If my dad shows up, I'll call it an emergency."

"Tommy, you're really starting to worry me," Oliver confessed. He’d spent the whole flight trying to imagine what couldn’t wait for him to return home as scheduled. If the children were okay and Felicity was okay and Malcolm wasn’t in town, the only thing he could think of was that there was something wrong with Tommy.

Tommy rubbed Oliver's wedding ring, "Don't be worried. I just need some time alone with you." He waggled his eyebrows.

Oliver couldn't help but laugh, even though he knew Tommy wasn't taking him to Bay Point to make out in the fog. "The backseat of this car isn't very big and we're not as flexible as we once were," Oliver teased.

Tommy turned onto the narrow road that led to Bay Point, "Ye of little faith. I've worked miracles for you in smaller spaces."

That earned Tommy a full belly laugh from Oliver, "That's very true, but you were also shorter than six feet the last time we made out in the backseat of a sports car."

They made the rest of the short trip in silence so Tommy could concentrate on the road. Oliver turned out to have been right, they were surrounded by fog. When they reached the lookout point, Tommy turned off the engine, removed his seatbelt and pushed his seat back as far as it would go. He turned in his seat to face Oliver.

Oliver mirrored Tommy's actions and sat patiently waiting for Tommy to tell him what was going on. He could see Tommy's wheels turning as he tried to find the words he wanted to use. Tommy began to nervously turn his wedding ring and Oliver took mercy on him. He placed a hand on the back of Tommy's neck and pulled him in for a kiss. It wasn't a chaste kiss, nor was it a kiss to ignite passion. It was a kiss of homecoming and reflected what Oliver felt for Tommy. Tommy was and had always been home for Oliver and he poured all of his love into the kiss.

"Wow," Tommy said as their lips parted, "what was that for?"

"You looked nervous." Oliver took Tommy's hands, "You know you can tell me anything?"

Tommy smiled softly, "I do." He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "I had an unexpected visitor this morning."

Since Tommy had already told him it wasn't Malcolm, Oliver couldn't think of anyone else that would warrant Tommy's behavior, "Okay."

"William Clayton came to see me," Tommy looked like he was expecting a big reaction.

Oliver was confused to hear a name he hadn't heard in sixteen years, "Clayton? William Clayton? Why would Samantha's dad come to see you? Has something happened to her?" Oliver could only imagine an emergency would bring Samantha's dad to their doorstep.

Tommy squeezed Oliver's hands, "Ollie, this William Clayton is a sophomore in high school."

In a giant whoosh, all the air left Oliver's lungs and the world disappeared. What Tommy was telling him couldn't be possible.

Tommy cupped one of Oliver's cheeks, "Ollie, are you okay?"

Oliver leaned against Tommy's hand as tears flooded his eyes, "How?"

"I'm sorry, Oliver." Tommy's eyes filled with tears, "Your mom gave Samantha a million dollars to tell you that she lost the baby."

A dark chuckle escaped his lips as tears fell down his face. Ten years after his mom's death she still found ways to blow up his life. He wasn’t surprised that his mom would've tried to make his problem go away with money, but he was incredibly angry that she didn't believe that he could be more than he was and take responsibility for his actions.

"He's a great kid, Ollie. He looks just like you, except for his brown eyes. When I opened the front door, I knew who he was before he even spoke a word."

"I have another son," Oliver said with a trembling voice.

"You do," Tommy smiled, "and he's waiting at home with Felicity and Bobby. Samantha showed up a few minutes after I left."

Oliver took a shuddering breath as the reality of the child he believed long dead was actually alive and waiting to meet him sank in. He was the father of a teenager and he knew absolutely nothing about him. Oliver groaned when he realized that William probably knew more about him than he'd ever want his child to know, "He's probably googled me."

"Be prepared - he brought a copy of every article that has ever mentioned you, Felicity or me." Tommy placed a hand on Oliver's knee, "We're so having Felicity ghost our online pasts before our children can read."

Oliver cringed, "I wasn't worried about Bobby learning about our pasts. He's going to grow up with us and know what kind of men we are and that we aren't proud of the stupid things we did." Oliver suddenly felt sick and got out of the car.

Oliver walked to the guardrail and bent over at the waist as the wave of nausea rolled through him. Tommy's steady hand on his back grounded him.

Once the nausea passed he wiped the tears from his eyes, "God, Tommy. How do I tell William that he is the product of a drunken one night stand that I don't even remember? That I was dating someone else and seduced his mom because I was probably bored."

"Oliver, he knows that he was unplanned and he knows that you cheated on Laurel - the rest, he doesn't need to know. There are some truths our children don't need to know about their parents." Tommy placed his hand over Oliver's heart, "Don't start your relationship trying to paint yourself as the villain. Getting a girl pregnant the only time you slept with her isn't the worst thing in the world."

"No, but how about bringing Sara on the Gambit with me or sleeping with Laurel when you were in love with her? There's no shortage of terrible things to read about me."

"Hey, you're not doing this," Tommy tugged on Oliver's jacket to get him to make eye contact, "I won't let you."

Oliver spoke his fear aloud, "What if he hates me?"

"Your son has read everything that has ever been written about you and he still decided to cut school and get on the first train out of Central City this morning because he wants to know who his father is. William doesn't hate you. He's just curious, Ollie."

Oliver nodded his head, "Okay."

Tommy wrapped Oliver in a tight hug, "Let's go home so you can meet your son."

Forty-five minutes later, Oliver and Tommy sat in the car in front of the brownstone watching the rain leave trails on the windshield. Their fingers were laced together as Oliver tried to find the strength to get out of the car. Of all the things he'd been afraid of in his life, nothing terrified him more than the prospect of meeting his teenaged son.

"It's going to be okay, Ollie," Tommy smiled reassuringly, "I promise."

The walk from the car to the front door felt like a blink of an eye. Oliver could hear Bobby screaming before Tommy could even unlock the front door. The sound of his son centered him and Oliver felt more in control.

Felicity was standing barefoot in the foyer with Bobby on her hip. Their son was scarlet red as he screamed at the top of his lungs. Upon seeing Oliver, Bobby put his arms out towards his daddy. Oliver scooped up his son and kissed Felicity in one fluid motion.

Holding Bobby against his chest he rubbed circles on his back as he rocked back and forth, "Hey, little man. Why are you crying?" Oliver whispered soothing words against his son's head.

A distressed Felicity said to Tommy, "He's been screaming like this since you left to pick up Oliver."

Looking to Tommy he asked, "Are we sure it isn't an ear infection?"

Tommy shook his head, "He doesn't have a fever. He hasn't been pulling on his ear."

"It's okay, Bobby," Oliver kissed his son's head, "daddy's home."

“Are you okay?” Felicity asked Oliver with concern. “This is - a lot.”

“Honestly, I don’t know how I feel.” He took hold of her hand, “Are you okay? Are we okay?”

Felicity smiled gently, “Luckily for you, I can do math. There is nothing for me to be upset with you about. Your mom, is another story.”

Oliver sighed, “Yeah, mom strikes again.”

Felicity placed a hand on Oliver's back and one on her son's, "William and Samantha are in the living room. FYI - no one is eating the cheese platter."

"No, daddy," Bobby clung tighter to Oliver.

Oliver was torn between the son in his arms and the one waiting behind the closed living room door. His toddler's sobs left him no choice, "Can you tell William and Samantha that I'll be back as soon as I get Bobby settled upstairs?"

Felicity smiled, "Sure."

Tommy followed Oliver upstairs with his luggage. Oliver entered the nursery and attempted to put Bobby down in his crib so he could remove his rain dampened jacket. As soon as he began to lower Bobby into the crib he began to scream louder. "Bobby, daddy just needs to take off his jacket." Oliver placed Bobby in his crib and tossed his jacket over the back of the rocking chair. Bobby shook the side of the crib violently and was trying to crawl over the edge. Oliver picked him up and Bobby instantly quieted down.

Tommy poked his head into the room and mouthed, "I can take him."

Oliver shook his head, but held out his hand, "Why don't you lay down for a little while - you look exhausted."

"Just a little headache, I'm fine." Tommy placed his hand on Bobby's back, "You're a miracle worker."

Bobby lifted his head from Oliver's chest and glared at Tommy, "No, dada. I want daddy."

Tommy dropped his hand and sighed with defeat, "I'm going to go work on dinner."

"Let's do take-out," Oliver offered, trying to be helpful.

"I'm trying to make a good impression," Tommy smiled tiredly. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm good." Tommy was almost out of the room when Oliver called out to him, "Thank you for taking such good care of all of us."

Tommy's face lit up with a smile, "Call me if you need anything."

Oliver turned his attention back to his son, "What's going on, little man?"

Bobby lifted his tear stained face and looked at Oliver before he rested his head back onto his chest. His mournful big blue eyes looked up at his dad. He looked so much like Tommy it made Oliver smile.

The whole time Felicity was pregnant with Bobby, Oliver had prayed for a healthy baby. He also prayed that the baby would be Tommy's. He wanted Tommy to have the connection he'd craved for his whole life. When Bobby was first born they had no idea whether he was Tommy's or Oliver's, but it hadn't really mattered. Bobby had grounded Tommy from the first moment he held him in his arms.

At eight weeks, Bobby smiled at Oliver for the first time and he knew that Tommy was the biological father. Oliver had lived almost every day of his entire life seeing that smile and would recognize it anywhere. Right before the baby was born he feared that he might feel resentment if he wasn't the biological father, but in the moment that he knew Tommy was, he didn't feel resentment or disappointment, he felt an overwhelming sense of peace. He was holding in his arms a piece of the two people he loved most in the world and his son was looking at him like he was the greatest thing in the universe.

Oliver was ashamed to admit it, but he was secretly enjoying that Bobby was going through a daddy phase. He felt terrible for what Tommy was going through because he'd gone through it too. There was a point when Bobby had gone through a Felicity and a Tommy phase and Oliver felt like he was being rejected. He knew the fear was irrational, but it didn't make the fear any less real. Bobby's recent behavior reassured Oliver that his son was as attached to him as he was to Felicity and Tommy.

Oliver continued to feel Bobby relaxing in his arms as he continued to rock him. He was hopeful that he'd be sound asleep in another five minutes.

"Hi," a tentative voice said from the doorway, "is it okay if I come in?"

It took Oliver a moment to respond because his eyes were greedily taking in everything about his son, "Please."

William stuck out his hand, "I'm William."

Oliver took his son's hand and wasn't ashamed when his eyes filled with tears, "Hi, William. I'm Oliver and I'm very happy to meet you."

William shoved his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet, "I don't know what to say. I had like a million questions that I rehearsed in my head on the train, but I can't remember them."

Oliver smiled sympathetically, "When I get nervous, I lose my train of thought too."

"My mom told me that you had no idea that your mom asked her to lie. I'm not mad at you for not being around." William shifted nervously, "I mean you were lost at sea and presumed dead for five years - so that gets you off the hook a bit."

"William, if I'd known about you, I would've been a part of your life," Oliver said sincerely.

"My mom said you could be sweet but you were also a selfish asshole who didn't care about anyone else." William cringed, "Sorry, I'll put money in the swear jar."

"That's okay," Oliver smiled. "I wasn't at my best back then. I was pretty self-destructive and I unfortunately hurt a lot of people, including your mom. When she told me she was pregnant, at first I freaked out. I wasn't ready to be a father. I was barely able to take care of myself. But the night your mom told me, I stayed up all night wondering if you were a boy or a girl. I pictured playing soccer and princess tea parties and the thought of being a dad stopped freaking me out. When your mom told me that she had a miscarriage, I was sad. I had already pictured a life with you and it was suddenly gone. I understand why your mom made the choice she did back then. She was twenty. My mom was pretty terrifying and I was a drunken party boy constantly in the tabloids."

"Are you angry with my mom now?"

"Honestly, I haven't really been able to process all of this. I probably will be angry with your mom. She could've made contact when I got back to Starling eleven years ago or after my mom died."

"She forbid me from contacting you. She doesn't approve of your lifestyle and she's afraid you'll be a bad influence."

Oliver kissed the top of Bobby’s head before placing him into his crib. He flipped the baby monitor on and turned off the overhead light. William was watching him and he was doing his best to act natural and not like he was freaking out because his fifteen-year-old son was standing a few feet away. “We better go talk to your mom.”

The living room was filled with so much tension Oliver half expected to find his mom sitting on the sofa. Felicity was sitting in an armchair looking desperately at the bottle of wine on the coffee table. He could hear her thoughts about how now was not the time to not be able to drink. Tommy was seated on the opposite end of the sofa from Samantha. He looked far more relaxed than Felicity, but his headache was visible around his eyes. Samantha was sitting on the edge of the sofa, her back perfectly straight. She looked like one strong noise would send her running.

All three pair of eyes followed Oliver and William into the living room. Oliver wiped his hand on his pant leg and then extended it towards the mother of the child he didn’t know existed, “Samantha, you look well.”

Samantha rose from the sofa and took Oliver’s hand, “Thank you, Oliver. I’m sorry that we showed up at your home unannounced.”

“Well, if William didn’t show up unannounced I wouldn’t know that I have another son,” Oliver did his best not to sound bitter.

“I never wanted you to know about William,” Samantha ran her hands over her stomach and smoothed her top.

“Because of my mother. Because she gave you money,” Oliver was trying to tell her he understood her predicament.

“At first yes. Your mother made it very clear that you were better off without us. Then when you came back from the dead, I thought about telling you, but then the earthquake happened. Being a Queen seemed like a burden my son didn’t deserve.”

“I had a right to know who my father is,” William shouted at his mom.

Samantha nodded, “You might be right, but I’m your mother and I did what I thought was best for you.”

“You sound an awful lot like my mom,” Oliver said coolly. “She thought she knew what was best for me and she cost me a relationship with my own child.”

“Felicity and I are going to check on dinner. William, I could use your help,” Tommy said as he helped Felicity to her feet.

“We’re not staying for dinner,” Samantha said.

“You’re welcome to stay, or not, but I could still use some help in the kitchen.” Tommy tilted his head towards the door, “Come on, William. Felicity can talk to you about the Q-Cell.”

William followed Felicity out of the living room. Tommy grabbed Oliver’s forearm and whispered in his ear, “Be nice. She is the mother of your son.”

Oliver took a deep breath and waited for the door to close behind Tommy. He gestured to the sofa, “Please, sit down.”

Samantha hesitated, but returned to her spot on the sofa. Oliver took the chair Felicity had vacated, “William is a good name.”

“William Jonas. I named him after my father and then when he was born, I thought you were dead, so,”

“Jonas,” Oliver nodded. “Thank you.”

“The three of you named your son, Robert, after your dad?” she asked.

Oliver, “Yes, Robert John. He’s named for two people I love and who saved me.”

“So, he’s yours not Tommy’s?”

Oliver opened his hands and shook his head, “He is just as much mine as he is Tommy’s. We don’t know who his biological father is.”

Samantha sighed, “I’m sorry, Oliver. It was not my intention to hurt you. You are a parent now, so you understand. I have to protect my son, even if it is from you. This life you lead, it isn’t normal. I can’t expose my child to what goes on in this house.”

“What do you think goes on in this house?” Oliver asked angrily.

Samantha arched a brow at him, “Oliver, you are in a sexual relationship with a man and a woman. You’re playing house and have added a child to the mix.”

“We are not playing house. We have been together for nine years, Samantha. This is a real and committed relationship. Yes, what goes on in our bedroom might be outside of the norm, but there is nothing that goes on that I’m ashamed of. Would you want anyone analyzing what goes on between you and your husband in your bedroom?” Oliver looked at the wedding ring on her finger.

“What goes on between Richard and me is none of your business,” Samantha said angrily.

“Then how does what goes on between Tommy and Felicity any of yours?” Oliver countered.

“Because what goes on in this house is confusing for a fifteen-year-old who is just starting to figure out how he feels about girls.”

“I know what it’s like to be fifteen and confused,” Oliver said softly. “Maybe if I had someone to talk to I would’ve known that it was okay to be attracted to girls and boys and I wouldn’t have been so self-destructive. I would never tell our son how he should feel or that he should make the choices I’ve made. God knows, it wasn’t the easiest path for me to take.”

“When you and I were together, were you just cheating on Laurel or were you cheating on Tommy too?” Samantha asked snidely, “You have a whole host of bad behavior I can point to if you need to me to illustrate why I think you’re an unsuitable parent for MY son.”

“I won’t make excuses for the person you knew. I was terrible. I know that I was, but I’m not that man. I haven’t been him in a very long time. You want to know what goes on in this house, I’ll tell you. I share a bed with my wife and husband and I make love to both of them and they make love to one another. That’s the titillating stuff and all that the tabloids care about, but that’s not who we are. Tommy is a stay at home dad and he also runs a charity that provides free health care to the residents of this city. Felicity is the CEO of Queen Consolidated, a genius and the kindest person I have ever known. They saved me after I spent five years in absolute hell and when I thought there was no chance of me having a happy life. Felicity can’t cook – at all. Tommy is a good cook and a great baker. Tommy and I make dinner together most nights. We watch movies. Tommy prefers old movies from the thirties and forties, Felicity likes science fiction. Bobby is living up to the term, terrible twos. He cries all of the time and at the moment, he only wants me to comfort him. We’re pretty sure he has a genius IQ and it keeps us awake at night. We want him to get the stimulation he needs while making sure he isn’t isolated from his peers, because that’s what Felicity went through and we don’t want him to experience the same thing. We have a dog that is a big lovable dope and who no longer gets the amount of attention she deserves. We have Sunday dinner every week with Felicity’s mom and step-dad, our sister Thea and her husband, Roy. They are expecting their first child next month, a daughter that they’re planning on naming Mia. When my step-father is in town, he joins us. My best friend and his wife and daughter attend, at least, once a month. We fight about who left wet towels on the bed and shoes in the foyer. Felicity is pregnant with our second child and we’re trying to pick names, but so far we’ve only agreed on a first name if it is a girl. Yes, I share a bed with a man and a woman, but that doesn’t make me an unfit parent. I love my husband, my wife and our child. I love William and I’ve only known he exists for two hours. I want to have a relationship with my child.”

Samantha wiped a tear from her cheek, “I don’t doubt that you love your family and that they love you, but it isn’t what I want for William. He’s only known about you for a few months and he’s already gotten into more trouble than he has in the past fifteen years. Just knowing your name has made you a bad influence.”

“Trouble? What kind of trouble?” Oliver asked with concern.

“For starters, he came here without telling me today. On the upside, he didn’t actually cut school, because he was suspended for two weeks for having marijuana on school property. He never touched drugs or alcohol before he knew you were his dad and then he started reading all about you and Tommy Merlyn and now he thinks he can pull all the crap you did.”

Oliver sighed, “I’ll talk to him.”

“No, Oliver,” she leaned forward, “you won’t, because you aren’t his parent, Richard and I are his parents and we will discipline him.”

Samantha stood up, “Oliver, when William turns eighteen I won’t be able to stop him, but for the next three years I don’t want you to have any more contact with him. I will get lawyers involved if I have to.”

“I can hire lawyers too, Sam. I just want a chance to get to know my own son.”

“I don’t think you will contact lawyers, because if you do,” she gestured towards his living room, “this life you’ve built will come under very intense scrutiny. What do you think the courts will think about the three of you raising that little boy?”

“Don’t you dare come into my home and threaten my son,” Oliver stood up.

“I think you are a threat to my son and I will do whatever it takes to keep him safe from you. Don’t test me, Oliver. I’m not the meek naïve girl you plied with shots and knocked up sixteen years ago. All that alcohol we drank that night, I can claim dubious consent. The statute of limitations might’ve expired, but do you really think they’ll let a suspected sex offender near a toddler? How about a newborn?”

Oliver’s legs went weak. It was his absolute worst fear from that time. All of the women he’d cheated on Laurel with, he’d never been sober and neither had the women. Neither had Tommy. He fell heavily back into his chair. _Dubious consent_.

Samantha walked past him and into the kitchen, “Get your things, William. We’re leaving.”

“What?” Oliver heard William ask angrily. “No, we’re going to stay for dinner.”

“Your father is waiting back at the hotel. We’ll go to dinner with him. Now, get your things,” Samantha said in a tone that would’ve made Moira proud. “Thank Mr. Merlyn and Ms. Smoak for their hospitality and go tell Oliver good-bye. You won’t be seeing him again for a while.”

“No,” William shouted. “You can’t do that. He’s my dad and I have a right to see him.”

“Lower your voice, you’ll wake the baby,” Samantha cautioned. “We can discuss this later when we’re at home.”

“No,” William stomped out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs.

“Oliver,” Felicity said softly as she knelt in front of him. “Are you all right?”

He blinked back his tears, “Felicity.”

“Oliver?” she grabbed hold of his hands where they were folded in his lap.

He looked at their hands, “I,” he withdrew his hands and wrapped his arms around himself, “I don’t think that I’m okay.”

“Buddy,” Tommy entered the living room and closed the door to the kitchen behind him. “Sam wants to leave and William is upstairs.” Tommy held up the baby monitor and Oliver could hear his sons talking quietly to one another.

Oliver wiped the tears from his eyes with the heel of his hands, “Right, I’ll go talk to him.” He stood up and then helped Felicity to her feet. He pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head.

“Go talk to William,” Felicity said, giving him a small gentle shove.

Tommy placed his hand over Oliver’s heart as he walked by him, “We’ll figure it out. Everyone is just emotional right now.”

Oliver looked into Tommy’s blue eyes and couldn’t help seeing the teenaged boy he loved. He worried that if there was any truth to what Samantha had said about their one night together then there was a chance that he might’ve forced himself on Tommy too. Until Tommy was twenty, Oliver was always the physically stronger of the two. He could’ve easily overpowered Tommy at any time when they were younger. “Tommy? Did I ever,”

“Did you ever?” Tommy raised a brow.

Bobby giggled over the monitor, drawing their attention. Oliver stepped away from Tommy, “I better go talk to him.”

Oliver stepped into the hallway. Samantha was standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up at the landing to the second floor. “I’ll go get him,” Oliver said stepping past her.

He stopped on the third step and turned to face her, “I’m sorry if I ever hurt you. I know they’re empty words, but I never meant or wanted to hurt you. I liked you.”

“Do you even remember that night?” she asked quietly.

He shook his head, “I don’t even remember going to the party or the fight I had with Laurel that night. The first thing I remember is waking up the next afternoon in bed next to you. Do you remember?”

She smiled sadly, “I do remember it. You were sweet and gentle and the first boy who ever went down on me. I fell in love with you a little bit that night, even though I knew you’d never feel that way about me.”

“I guess we’ll never know,” Oliver said as the sound of his sons laughing drew his eyes to the second floor.

“Know what?” she asked.

“If I could’ve fallen for you too.” He looked back at her, “If you’d told me the truth, I would’ve done the right thing. I would’ve stepped up and been a father. Maybe we could’ve built a life together.”

“I’m sorry, Oliver. We were young and we both made some bad choices,” Sam looked down at her feet.

“Let’s not make more bad choices. We’re not kids anymore. We’re parents and we have a son who needs us to be smarter and less emotional than him. If you won’t stay for dinner, please come for breakfast. Bring, Richard.” He touched her shoulder briefly and waited for her to lift her eyes to his, “Please, Sam. Let me get to know William. Get to know us. If you still think we’re a bad influence, I’ll wait for him to turn eighteen.”

She remained speechless looking at him. When he realized she wasn’t going to say anything else, he turned back around and climbed the stairs. He found William in Bobby’s room. They were both laying on the floor moving cars across the carpet. Bobby smiled at Oliver when he walked into the room but immediately returned his attention to the cement truck he held in his hand.

“I didn’t wake him up. He was sitting up in his crib when I walked by and he said, hi,” William explained. “I thought it would be okay to pick him up and then he wanted to play.”

“It’s fine. William, your mom is waiting for you downstairs,” Oliver said gently.

“I’m not leaving until she tells me that I can see you again,” William responded without looking up.

Oliver crouched down onto the floor in front of his sons, “She is your mom and she is doing what she thinks is best for you. I need you to listen to her.”

Tears filled William’s eyes, “You don’t want to see me again. You wish I never came here.” He sat up on his knees, but Bobby climbed into his lap before he could stand up.

“That’s not true. I want to have a relationship with you William, but your mom feels that now isn’t the right time.”

“You could fight for me if you wanted to,” William accused.

“We’re not allowed to fight,” Bobby said as he patted William’s chest, “it’s not nice.”

“I promise, this won’t be the last time we see each other. Your mom just needs more time to get used to the idea.”

“She’s had fifteen years to get used to the idea of you being my dad.”

“Well, she needs more time.”

Bobby looked between William and Oliver, “Is my daddy your daddy?”

William looked to Oliver. Oliver sat down on the floor and pulled Bobby into his lap, “Yes, I’m William’s daddy too.”

“Is dada his dada too?” Bobby asked.

“No, dada is just your dada,” Oliver answered.

“Do you have a dada?” Bobby asked William. He was becoming more aware of the fact that not everyone he met had two fathers and one mom.

William nodded, “Yes, his name is Richard.”

Bobby narrowed his eyes, “My dada is better.”

William laughed and Oliver groaned inside, “Robert. That’s not a very nice thing to say. Your dada is very nice and I’m sure Richard is also very nice.”

Bobby looked skeptical, but decided not to argue. He lost interest in their conversation almost as quickly as he’d found it. He crawled out of Oliver’s lap and returned to playing with his cement truck.

“Richard is waiting for you and your mom at the hotel,” Oliver reminded William.

“He can wait. No one asked him to come,” William said angrily.

“How long have your mom and Richard been married?” Oliver asked with genuine curiosity. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that Sam had referred to Richard as William’s father.

“They started dating when I was three. They got married when I was five,” William ran a red sports car along Bobby’s back which made the toddler giggle. “I use his name at school, Adams, but he can’t legally adopt me because mom would’ve had to tell you about me and you’d have to surrender your parental rights.”

Oliver was shocked to hear that Richard wasn’t a recent introduction to William’s life, but was actually more his dad than he could ever possibly be. Oliver could feel a little bubble of ugly jealousy form in his gut. William wasn’t William Queen or even William Clayton, he was William Adams. He took a deep breath to clear his head. “You don’t like Richard?”

William shrugged, “He’s all right.”

“Is he mean to you? Does he hit you?” Oliver probed the teenager.

William’s eyes flashed to Oliver’s, “No, my dad’s never hit me.”

“He yells at you all the time?” Oliver tried again and noticing that when pushed, William referred to Richard as his dad.

“Only when I deserve it.” William shrugged, “Mom’s more of the family yeller.”

“So, he doesn’t go to your baseball or soccer games?” Oliver asked.

“No, dad goes to all of my games and he coached my little league team,” William defended his dad.

“He sounds a little bit better than all right,” Oliver said with a smile. “It sounds like he’s a pretty great dad, who loves you.”

“I guess,” William huffed.

“I have a step-dad – Walter,” Oliver picked up a small black car with a yellow racing stripe, “he’s pretty great. He married my mom while I was gone. When I came home and found out she got remarried, I wasn’t very nice to him. I was angry that my dad was dead and Walter wasn’t. Even though I was mean and twenty-seven when I came home, Walter was always kind to me. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not grateful to have him in my life. Every time I pick up the phone and I hear his voice and he calls me, son, it makes me feel like I belong to someone. We can never have too many people in our life who love us.”

“Are you going to tell him about me?” William asked.

“Right after I tell my sister, I will call Walter,” Oliver said truthfully. He had no doubt that Thea would squeal with delight and then be angry about another one of their mom’s lies. He also knew that Walter would want to know if he was all right and then immediately say that William was lucky to have him for a dad. Walter Steele was a blessing in his life and he couldn’t ask for a better step-father. “I know that they’ll both like to meet you one day.”

“Grandpa Walt is taking me to the zoo.” Bobby looked up at William, “You can come too. Grandpa lets me ride the pony at the zoo. The pony’s name is, Peanut, but I’m not allowed to feed him peanuts, just crackers. Mommy’s allergic to peanuts.”

William smiled at his little brother’s babbling, “Riding a pony sounds like fun.”

“Can he come too, daddy?” Bobby asked excitedly. “He’s too tall to ride Peanut, but he can watch me ride him.”

“I don’t know if he’ll be able to go this time. William lives in the same town as Uncle Barry and may not be able to come back this weekend,” Oliver explained.

“You should live here with us,” Bobby told William, “then we could go to the zoo with Grandpa and you can meet Peanut.”

A soft knock on the door announced Tommy’s arrival, “Richard is on his way over. We’re going to eat in a half hour.”

William and Oliver smiled with relief.

“Dada,” Bobby said as he ran over to Tommy. He held up his arms and waited for his dad to pick him up.

“What are you doing out of bed, monkey?” Tommy asked as he cuddled his son to his chest.

Bobby pointed at William, “He picked me up and wanted to play cars.”

Tommy and Oliver both struggled to keep a straight face as their two-year old threw his big brother under the bus. Tommy held Bobby away from his chest, “Are you sure you didn’t ask William to pick you up and to play cars?”

Bobby blushed, ducked his head and held his hands to his chest, “Yes, but he wanted to play with me too.”

“I’m sure he did,” Tommy held out a hand and offered it to Oliver. He pulled his husband to his feet, “I guess he’s going to be up for a few more hours.”

Oliver wrinkled his nose and kissed Tommy quickly on the lips, “Sorry, I’ll stay up with him.”

Tommy eyed William nervously, “That’s fine.”

Oliver suddenly realized what he’d done. It was one thing to know your newly found dad kissed men, it was another thing to see it. He looked over at William who had just finished returning Bobby’s cars to the toy chest. “Sorry about that,” Oliver said.

William looked confused for a second before he realized what Oliver was apologizing for, “I’ve seen guys kiss before. No big deal.”

“Right,” Oliver nodded his head, “it’s 2023 not 2003.”

“All right, gents. Let’s wash up for dinner,” Tommy said.

Bobby held his arms out as William walked by and the teenager obliged.

Tommy wrapped his arms around Oliver’s waist as Oliver watched his sons walk down the hall. Oliver arched a lone brow “Gents?”

Tommy groaned, “I don’t know. I was nervous about the kiss and my brain stopped working for a second.”

“Do I have you to thank for convincing Sam to stay?” Oliver asked as they walked down the stairs together.

“No, that was all you.” At Oliver’s raised eyebrow Tommy continued, “The baby monitor was on. She heard everything you said and decided to give us a shot at proving that we’re normal enough to be in William’s life.”  


Eight hours later, Oliver woke with a start. Felicity was sound asleep next to him, but Tommy wasn’t in bed. Oliver extracted himself from Felicity’s embrace.

“Oliver,” Felicity said sleepily.

“Go back to sleep.” He kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to check on Bobby and Tommy.”

 He quietly padded down the hall in search of his husband. There was a soft glow coming from Bobby’s nursery and as he got closer he could hear Tommy singing softly to their son. Felicity joined him in the hallway. He lifted his arm and Felicity slipped beneath it, wrapping her arms around his waist. They stood in the doorway and watched Tommy rock their son. Bobby was sprawled against Tommy’s chest and had a fistful of his dad’s t-shirt clutched tightly in his hand. There was evidence of dried tears on Bobby’s face.

“Dada?” Bobby asked quietly. Tommy stopped singing but continued to rub their son’s back, “Is daddy going away?”

“Daddy doesn’t have another work trip for a few more weeks,” Tommy rested his cheek on the top of Bobby’s head.

“No, is daddy going to live where Uncle Barry lives?” Bobby asked with concern.

“Daddy lives here,” Tommy shifted the toddler to be better able to see his face. “Why do you think daddy is going to live with Uncle Barry.”

Bobby pulled on Tommy’s t-shirt, “Not Uncle Barry, with William and his mommy and dada.”

Tommy smiled at their son, “Even though your daddy is William’s daddy too he is not going to go live with him. He is going to stay right here and live with you, mommy and me.”

“And Hildy?”

“And Hildy.”

“Why?”

“Because your daddy loves you, mommy, Hildy and me. We’re his family” Tommy hugged Bobby, “Daddy loves William and William is a part of our family, but daddy isn’t going to go live with him. Daddy will go visit William and William will come here and visit us, but this will always be daddy’s home.”

“Are you sure?” Bobby asked.

“I’m sure,” Oliver said as he stepped into the nursery. “I’m not going to live anywhere but here. Okay?”

Bobby nodded his head, “Okay.”

Oliver sat down on the floor in front of the rocker and rested his head on Tommy’s leg. He reached up and placed his hand on Bobby’s back. “Shouldn’t a certain monkey be asleep?”

Bobby yawned and put his head back onto Tommy’s chest, “Dada, sing.”

Felicity sat between Oliver’s legs on the floor. She rested her hand on top of Tommy’s where it lay on their son’s back and laid her head on Oliver’s shoulder. Oliver placed his palm over Felicity’s stomach and she settled in closer to him. Tommy rested a hand on top of Oliver’s head and began to sing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Hopefully, this story wasn't overhyped. I know I've been promising this one for awhile.
> 
> Any ideas or prompts for what you'd like to read in this universe are always welcome. You have been sharing some great ideas - please keep them coming.
> 
> On another note, tomorrow I will be launching my new Olicity fic, The Sword and The Shield, under my other author name - wordscreatereality. If you are so inclined, I'd love for you to join me on this season 3 rewrite. http://archiveofourown.org/works/7008718/chapters/15959470


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